1. Occupational and environmental exposure to SARS-CoV-2 in and around infected mink farms
- Author
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de Rooij, Myrna M T, Hakze-Van der Honing, Renate W, Hulst, Marcel M, Harders, Frank, Engelsma, Marc, van de Hoef, Wouter, Meliefste, Kees, Nieuwenweg, Sigrid, Oude Munnink, Bas B, van Schothorst, Isabella, Sikkema, Reina S, van der Spek, Arco N, Spierenburg, Marcel, Spithoven, Jack, Bouwstra, Ruth, Molenaar, Robert-Jan, Koopmans, Marion, Stegeman, Arjan, van der Poel, Wim H M, Smit, Lidwien A M, IRAS OH Epidemiology Microbial Agents, IRAS OH Epidemiology Chemical Agents, dIRAS RA-2, dIRAS RA-I&I RA, FAH veterinaire epidemiologie, dFAH AVR, dFAH I&I, IRAS OH Epidemiology Microbial Agents, IRAS OH Epidemiology Chemical Agents, dIRAS RA-2, dIRAS RA-I&I RA, FAH veterinaire epidemiologie, dFAH AVR, dFAH I&I, and Virology
- Subjects
0301 basic medicine ,Bio Process Engineering ,Veterinary medicine ,Exposure Assessment ,Range (biology) ,Epidemiology ,animal diseases ,Kwantitatieve Veterinaire Epidemiologie ,viruses ,air pollution ,Air pollution ,medicine.disease_cause ,law.invention ,0302 clinical medicine ,law ,030212 general & internal medicine ,Mink ,skin and connective tissue diseases ,Netherlands ,biology ,Bacteriologie ,Dust ,Bacteriology, Host Pathogen Interaction & Diagnostics ,Environmental exposure ,Virology & Molecular Biology ,Geography ,Transmission (mechanics) ,RNA, Viral ,Public Health ,Occupational exposure ,environment ,Animal Breeding & Genomics ,Air sampling ,Farms ,Bioinformatica & Diermodellen ,Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) ,farmers ,Respirable dust ,03 medical and health sciences ,SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being ,Occupational Exposure ,Environmental health ,biology.animal ,Bio-informatics & Animal models ,medicine ,Animals ,Humans ,Epidemiology, Bio-informatics & Animal models ,Fokkerij & Genomica ,Environmental risk assessment ,Host Pathogen Interaction & Diagnostics ,Epidemiologie ,business.industry ,SARS-CoV-2 ,Environmental and Occupational Health ,fungi ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Quantitative Veterinary Epidemiology ,COVID-19 ,RNA ,Bacteriology ,Environmental Exposure ,Virology ,Host Pathogen Interactie & Diagnostiek ,respiratory tract diseases ,Virologie & Moleculaire Biologie ,030104 developmental biology ,Epidemiologie, Bioinformatica & Diermodellen ,Bacteriologie, Host Pathogen Interactie & Diagnostiek ,WIAS ,business - Abstract
ObjectiveUnprecedented SARS-CoV-2 infections in farmed minks raised immediate concerns regarding transmission to humans and initiated intensive environmental investigations to assess occupational and environmental exposure.MethodsAir sampling was performed at infected Dutch mink farms, at farm premises and at nearby residential sites. A range of other environmental samples were collected from minks’ housing units, including bedding materials. SARS-CoV-2 RNA was analysed in all samples by quantitative PCR.ResultsInside the farms, considerable levels of SARS-CoV-2 RNA were found in airborne dust, especially in personal inhalable dust samples (approximately 1000–10 000 copies/m3). Most of the settling dust samples tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA (82%, 75 of 92). SARS-CoV-2 RNA was not detected in outdoor air samples, except for those collected near the entrance of the most recently infected farm. Many samples of minks’ housing units and surfaces contained SARS-CoV-2 RNA.ConclusionsInfected mink farms can be highly contaminated with SARS-CoV-2 RNA. This warns of occupational exposure, which was substantiated by considerable SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations in personal air samples. Dispersion of SARS-CoV-2 to outdoor air was found to be limited and SARS-CoV-2 RNA was not detected in air samples collected beyond farm premises, implying a negligible risk of environmental exposure to nearby communities. Our occupational and environmental risk assessment is in line with whole genome sequencing analyses showing mink-to-human transmission among farm workers, but no indications of direct zoonotic transmission events to nearby communities.
- Published
- 2021